BLUES' BONUS FOR ELLIOTT

Elliott Hewitt says finishing the 2012/13 season in the first-team was a welcome bonus but now he’s looking to really push on next term as he celebrates a year as a Blue.

The Wales U21 international became the first signing of last summer when he joined the Club from Macclesfield exactly a year to this day, on his 18th birthday.

Surgery to both hips though meant Elliott spent a summer of recovery and he didn’t join up with his new team-mates for training until October.

He made his debut for Blues as a substitute against Millwall in December and went on to make eight appearances for the Club before the end of the campaign.

“I obviously missed all pre-season last year because of the injuries and I didn’t think I would play much,” Elliott, who turned 19 today, told the Club website.

“It was a bonus to get in the first-team and play as much as I did and I was really pleased with the way things went.

“It was a big step up for me and I’m still adjusting to it but I’m looking to get a good pre-season under my belt this time and really push on from there.”

This summer has already brought one very welcome difference for Elliott to last year, with the teenager explaining: “I didn’t have a holiday last year because of the surgery so I made sure I had a couple booked in for this summer!”